The JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa is a welcome antithesis to the centre of Venice for guests who want five-star luxury and a range of resort leisure facilities, away from the action.The 266-room and suite hotel opened in 2015 and sits opposite Venice in the lagoon, looking towards the city. But instead of scenic canals and selfie-snapping tourists, think acres of greenery, rose gardens leading to olive groves and supersized bedrooms.
Where?
The resort has taken over an entire island in the Venetian lagoon, Isola delle Rosa, 20-minutes by boat from Piazza San Marco. The hotel operates a regular complimentary boat transfer to and from the square, running every half an hour from 9am to 12.30am and guests could also pay for their own private water taxi transfer. Arriving directly by water taxi from Venice airport, a journey of around 35 minutes, adds a dramatic dose of Venetian glamour.
Style
The space is calm and sharply air-conditioned, the latter aimed at the hotel’s largely American audience. The design is fresh, light and unfussy, predominantly white, with pleasing punches of bright blue and sharp orange. The island was formerly a hospital for respiratory diseases and it shows in the long, wide corridors of the four-storey principal building.
The hotel opened in 2015 after a masterful transformation by Italian architect Matteo Thun. Additional low-level accommodation, a conference centre, a chapel lit with Murano glass chandeliers and the gym and spa are spread around the 40-acre resort. Walking in after a day spent in the crowded maelstrom of Venice is immediately soothing.
Facilities
The resort facilities include two pools, one for children and one on the rooftop with views on Piazza San Marco, as well as a gym and fitness studio and the largest spa in Venice. The latter must be booked in advance, and has a sauna, hammam, an indoor-outdoor pool and eight treatment rooms.
The facilities for children are especially good with a colourful Kids' Club, football and sports pitch and a packed activity programme. Chef Alessio holds informal cookery classes for all ages in the Sapori Cooking Academy, taking guests into Venice to tour the Rialto Market and stopping off for a Venetian Spritz on the return journey.
The gardens are a delight. The hotel produces its own olive oil from the 100 trees on site, and there’s a well-tended vegetable garden, apricot trees and a rose garden.
Extracurricular
Venice is the prize. La Serenissima is clearly visible across the lagoon: just a regular boat transfer away, and that’s where most guests head every day. They are delivered directly to Piazza San Marco, the most visited location in Venice. Walk a little further to marvel at the Baroque colonnades and Rococo flourishes of the grand 15th and 16th Century palaces that line the Grand Canal, linger on the Rialto or Accademia Bridges, visit art galleries and museums, take a vaporetto – a public waterbus - to Murano to watch the glass making in action or explore the many quieter (yes, really) paths and canals of the city.
Food & drink
There are four restaurants and three bars ranging from a superb pizzeria to the fine dining restaurant Dopolavoro with a Michelin-starred chef in charge. The team will set up a picnic in the grounds, billed as a Chic-Nic, where you recline looking across to the Campanile of Piazza San Marco. Staff are efficient and friendly, and special mention for the bar staff who happily talked me through the Italian love of Spritz. The Venetian speciality is Select, less bitter than Campari, less sweet than Aperol. A perfect evening aperitif.
Which room?
There’s an extensive selection, around 20 different categories with around 200 rooms and suites in the main hotel building and the others in buildings spread through the grounds. The junior suites in the main building are generously sized, elegantly furnished and thoughtfully designed with wide balconies.
Family groups or those wanting total privacy should opt for JW Retreats, rooms, suites and villas, some with private pools, in the grounds. Bathrooms are a particular treat, layered with fluffy white towels and generous bottles of Aromatherapy Associates products.
Best for...
It’s an appealing choice for families and couples. Anyone looking to be totally immersed in city life might not welcome the 20-minute transfer but for those who want Venice on the doorstep and appreciate a calm space to end the day, or want to combine sightseeing with a resort experience, JW Marriott is ideal.
The details
Room rates including breakfast start from €600 a night. The hotel is open from March to November every year.
